Harbinger of Destruction (Part I)

Kahndaq, 2065

Kahndaq has never truly been a peaceful place. It has had its times when there was less fighting, but there was always a war, somewhere in Kahndaq, but this one was by far one of the darkest in the nation’s history. Superman had ruled the nation of Kahndaq for years from his throne on the far side of the world. Relatively everything was peaceful in Kahndaq, that was until someone claiming to be Black Adam struck back and killed several of the World Order’s soldiers. He and another calling herself Isis, also claiming to be a figure from Kahndaq’s past, laid their claim on Kahndaq, and went to war with Superman.

Kahndaq’s self-proposed new leaders, in their push for independence forgot the most important treasure to a nation: it’s people. Now war covers Kahndaq once again, but this war is not one of gain, but of punishment. Kahndaq dared show it’s fangs to the King across the sea, and now all were paying for it. No one was being spared, not the women, children, or the elderly. It was purely a show of force, nothing more.

For Aleena Bal, this war was another curse that had been placed on her. The woman with tangled dark hair that descended past her shoulders and mud covering her face held tightly to the hands of the children that followed her.

“This way, and keep quiet little ones.” She said softly to the two girls and three boys surrounding her, “We don’t want the soldiers to see us.”

“Umm Bal, I’m scared,” said one of the children.

“I know, I’m scared too, but I promise nothing will happen to you. Now follow me, and be quick. We have to get out of the city tonight.” Aleena said and she began to move toward the door. The skies were on fire tonight. Hawkmen attacked planes that the rebels had managed to get ahold of, after the destruction of the old US Embassy. In the streets Aleena could hear screams as men were being slaughtered.

“Come, let’s go.” Aleena urged the children, and holding their hands she started running down the streets while keeping her head down. As they ran one of the children fell, Aleena urged the other children forward before running back and picking up the young boy that had fallen. The boy screamed into Aleena’s ears as they ran. Crying in pain from a scrape he had sustained while falling which was now bleeding onto Aleena’s robes.

“We’re almost there children.” She said, “Keep moving, where almost …” Her words were caught short, as one of the creatures known in the nation of Kandaq as Hawk’s swooped down out of the sky and grabbed up one of the children, and carried the little girl up into the night sky. Aleena could still hear the child screaming as she disappeared into the blackness. Screams came from the other children, as Hawk’s dropped down out of the sky onto the ground. There were at the very least five of them, and they took the children while they were screaming:

“Umm Bal, help us! Please help us.” But Aleena was terrified. She knew there was nothing she could do, so with tears in her eyes, she turned away and started to run, but when she tried she ran into something solid which unbalanced her causing her to fall. When she regained sense of her surroundings, she realized that she had lost the child that she was holding, and looked up only to see three more of the Hawks. The one in the middle looked older than the two by his side, and his armor was different, more of a bronze instead of the metallic that most of the Hawk’s wore. In his right hand he was holding the child by his shirt, and the child kicked violently at the air trying to break free.

“Quite a feisty one isn’t he.” The Hawk said as he lifted the child up and slammed his fist into the kids face causing blood to spray everywhere from the sand to Aleena’s feet.

“Allah, beg you,” She cried, “Please have mercy. He’s only a boy!” She tried to get up and reach for the child, but the Hawk merely kicked her in the gut, and sending her crashing back to the ground, gasping for air.

“He’ll live,” the Hawk said, and tossed the boy back to one of the Hawk’s behind him, “Take that one and put him with the others.” The other Hawk nodded and took off into the sky with the boy in his arms.

“Now, what shall I do with you?” the older Hawk said, as he knelt down, and moved Aleena’s hair out of her face. “Now you’re not too bad looking? And young too, oh I bet I could have a lot of fun with you.” He chuckled and grabbed hold of Aleena’s hair. Aleena screamed in agony, as the Hawk yanked and pulled, “I want the rest of you to get those little brats out of here, and you,” She barked at the other Hawk next to him, “You come with me, and stand guard while I take care of the prisoner. Now all of you get to it! That’s an order!”

The Hawks who had the other children took off into the sky, while the leader dragged Aleena over to one of the houses that lined Kahndaq’s streets. He kicked open the door, and then grabbed Aleena throwing her inside. Aleena slammed into the wall and the breath left her lungs. Her head was throbbing, and she could barely see. Her ears were ringing, but she could still make out what the lead Hawk was saying.

“You stay guard here, and don’t open the door for anyone while I interrogate the prisoner.” The leader said,

“But sir, our orders are to capture the area, not interrogate…” but he was suddenly cut off, when the leader started screaming

“I know what our orders are, because I’m the one that gives them! Now shut up and guard the damn door!” he screamed, and the door slammed. Aleena heard the footsteps as the Hawk walked into the room. She could smell the stink of his breath from where she lay. Aleena knew what was coming. She had felt this kind of man before. A man so vile, that it made Aleena’s insides run cold.

“You can stop this, that you can.”

“No,” Aleena muttered to herself, “No.”

“Ah relax,” the Hawk said, as his armor chest plate fell and clanged against the floor, “I promise you that you’ll enjoy this.”

“His flesh, the hunger, I will not fast.”

Aleena felt herself jerked up off the floor, pushed up against the wall, and the violent jarring as the Hawk ripped her robes, and grasped her.

“I’m not like the robot out there, you little skank. You see unlike them, I’m going to get to enjoy every second of this!” he said as he held tighter. Aleena who had felt the vile putrid stink of the Hawk, felt her will finally break.

“Foolish, girl. Why does thee wait, Let him feel your fiery hate!”

Aleena had once been a godly woman, who was faithful to all that she loved. She had once been a beautiful woman. The elders described her as the flower of the desert. As something so pure that it was a true treasure, but she had sinned and Allah had forsaken her. Her god was not going to come tonight.

“You know,” Aleena gasped, “You’re absolutely right. I will enjoy this.”

“THAT’S IT SHELL, CALL ON THEE, LET THEE ARISE THE DEMON!”

“ETRIGAN!!!” Aleena roared, her voice turned deep and feral, and fire burst from her body, engulfing the home in a hellish inferno. The Hawk, screamed as the fire burned not his flesh but his soul. Then out of the fire emerged a creature from the deepest depths of hell. Though the demon had the body of a woman its skin was yellowish and like leather, horns like a ram’s protruded from its head, and the tips of its fingers ended in razor sharp talons. The demon grabbed hold of the Hawk and opened its mouth and buried it’s fangs into the Hawks neck and ripped away a large chunk of bloody flesh, and scarfed it down like a starving rabid wolf. It did not stop though, it bit down again, and again, and again, blood spreading further across the floor with every bite.

By the tip the other Hawk burst into the room, the demon, had already removed much of the flesh on the leader’s neck, cheek and shoulder. The Hawk that was guarding the door did not have time to react as the demon leaped out at the Hawk and tackling it to the ground outside the now burning home. The demon flailed it’s claws at the Hawk’s face separating flesh from bone.

“This children Etrigan! Save them and you can still have your pound in flesh.”

The demon growled, as bat like wings protruded from its back, and with one great thrust the demon took off into the sky. The night was like home to the demon, and the Hawks were intruders into its domain. Etrigan swatted them out of them out of the sky like flies, and when they attacked in force, the demon’s eyes emitted a fiery glow, and it opened its mouth unleashing a torrent of fire onto the unsuspecting Hawk’s, which now fell to the earth in balls of flame.

The demon flew swiftly, and it soon caught sight of the Hawk’s that had taken the children from Aleena. The demon roared out its battle cry, causing the Hawk who wasn’t carrying a child to turn back, and charge. The demon ignored the Hawk’s attempt to attack and went right for its head, which it whipped around, ripping the Hawk’s head and spine from its head from its body in one fluid motion that sent the body back at the other Hawk’s which struck the one closest to the rear, causing it to drop the child it was holding.

The demon dove after the child, grabbing it long enough to break its fall, before letting it go again, and crash into the desert sands. The child would be banged up, but it would live. Nothing a few months of therapy wouldn’t cure. If they had therapy in this country.

The demon lifted its glide and soared back up to the other Hawk’s. There were three left. The one in front was terrified, and flying as fast as he could. Way faster than the other two, which flew side by side. The demon decided he would let the one in the lead feel it’s fear long, for the flesh is much sweeter when it has been seasoned with terror, so instead the demon went after the other two, flying right over them, the demon grabbed the two Hawk’s wings, ripping them from their backs and causing them to plummet to the ground. Then holding out its palms two orbs of flame appeared, and it tossed the flames at the falling Hawks which erupted into flames almost immediately before crashing into the ground.

“NO ETRIGAN! HOW COULD YOU!”

“SHUT IT!” Etrigan growled, not caring that two innocent lives just ended. “The last one is getting away!” The demon took off soaring as fast as it could. The Hawk, with the additional weight of the child was no match for Etrigan’s speed. Etrigan caught up with the Hawk and grabbed a hold of it, and went plummeting toward the ground. Right before they reached the ground, Etrigan ripped the child from the Hawk’s grasp and the demon spread its wings slowing their fall. Etrigan landed putting all its weight on top of the Hawk, and snapping its spine. Etrigan stood up straight, and though its appearance was the hellish rendition of Aleena Bal, the child saw no resemblance in what had it had once called: Umm Bal. The child screamed and cried thrashed about, as Etrigan held the child up and hissed.

“Bah, what a waste of time.” Etrigan hissed and tossed the child away and into the sands where to landed and began to cry, and apparently wet itself, which Etrigan caught the scent of, and then commented saying, “disgusting.”

Suddenly a bright light appeared in the sky shining down on Etrigan causing the demon to shield its eyes. The roar of the engines created a large down draft causing the sands to fly up into the air. It was one of the World Order’s dropships. Etrigan looked up and saw the door open, and one solitary figure leaped out of the dropship where it landed in front of the demon. The figure was armored from head to toe, and Etrigan could tell from the size and shape that he armored warrior was a woman. The woman drew a sword from the scabbard on her back and took her stance not saying a single word, and Etrigan smiled.

“Now this is more like it.” Etrigan growled as the demon dropped down into a fighting stance, and the warrior leaped out sword raised over her head poised to strike.